On Thursday night, Inside the Hall caught up with the 6-foot-5 lefty for his thoughts on IU’s facilities, the coaching staff and much more:

On the visit to Indiana and what he was able to see while in Bloomington:

“The coaching staff was great. I loved each and every one of them. They proved to me that they can make me the player that I want to become. The academics were great. I like all of the facilities. They really impressed me with everything. They took us on a tour of campus and it wasn’t too big and it wasn’t too small. I feel like it’s a nice distance from home so my parents could watch me. It was a really nice visit. I really liked it.”

On Cook Hall and Assembly Hall:

“They were great. Cook Hall looked brand new. Assembly Hall was great. It was big and I can see myself playing there sometime. You can tell all of the tradition that’s been there.”

On watching an IU workout and getting a chance to play in open gym:

“The workouts, they go very hard. Coach (Tom) Crean, he makes them go hard, which I really like. If they make a mistake, he’ll get on them and they’ll listen to him because they know that he can make them better by doing that. So they listen. Getting up and down with them, I had so much fun. They’re very big and strong. It was a fast pace, but I kept up with them and it was fun playing with them.”

On who impressed him in open gym:

“Victor (Oladipo), he was quick and he was strong and he can jump really well. He controls the game when he wants to and he can make plays happen. That’s a guy that I would look up to get myself better and watch him to make me a better player.”

On the strengths of his game and what college coaches tell him they like about him:

“My shooting and I can play pretty well on defense. I can pass pretty well, I can create plays and I can get my teammates open. I’d say that’s about it.”

On how he’s handling the early recruiting attention including offers from Ohio State and Xavier:

“I’m just taking it all in. And I’m trying to stay as humble as I can. I feel like I have right now, but I’m just taking it in and I’m not rushing anything. I don’t think I’m taking in too much at a time. I’m just going slow with the process and getting to know every coach real well. I’m just trying to take it all slow.”

After a sensational freshman season at Franklin High School in Ohio, the recruiting interest has picked up significantly this spring for class of 2015 prospect Luke Kennard.

The left-handed guard, considered by some to be the top 2015 prospect in the state, averaged 16.6 points in his first varsity season and is now hearing from several high-major schools.

One of them is Indiana, which hosted Kennard and his family on Tuesday for an unofficial visit.

“It’s a pretty awesome place with the tradition, the facilities, the university, it’s a really nice place,” Kennard’s father, Mark, told Inside the Hall. “Obviously the tradition is unique and the academics. IU is a great academic school. Most of their players have graduated within three to three and a half years. They really stress that. I think Coach Crean is a hands on guy. And he really pushes the academics and is really personable with each kid. He makes it a family atmosphere and that really stood out to us.”

Indiana assistant coach Steve McClain began recruiting the rising sophomore over the last month and quickly set up a trip for Kennard and his family to see the campus.

The visit included the opportunity to watch a workout and also play in open gym with the IU team. The intensity of the workout in particular stood out to Kennard’s father.

“The speed and the physicality was impressive,” Mark Kennard said. “They’re all in great shape. And they go full-go, 110 percent at all times.”

Besides Indiana, Kennard, who is expected to start at quarterback for his high school this fall, is also hearing from Dayton, Xavier, Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Illinois, Miami (OH), Louisville, Purdue, West Virginia and Tennessee. The Musketeers and Buckeyes have already offered a scholarship.

The elder Kennard said he believes several factors have led to the early interest in his son.

“I think coaches like his character, they like his grades. He’s highly skilled for his age,” Mark Kennard said. “That doesn’t mean he can’t get better because there are a lot of things he needs to improve on, but as far as the skill work, they compliment him on that. He’s able to use both hands whether it’s dribbling or shooting the ball. He’s very calm and poised on the court.”

The visit to IU, which is the sixth school to host Kennard thus far, gave the family an opportunity to see how he could potentially fit in.

“It’s early, but you always like to see where Luke’s going to fit and the style of play he’s going to fit,” Mark Kennard said.

Indiana is one of several schools expressing early interest in Franklin, Ohio guard Luke Kennard, who is considered one of the midwest’s best prospects in the class of 2015.

The 6-foot-5 lefty, who plays AAU with the King James Shooting Stars, already holds scholarship offers from Dayton, Miami (OH), West Virginia and Xavier and is receiving interest from Cincinnati, IU, Michigan and Ohio State.

Our friends at UMHoops.com have followed Kennard closely this spring and passed along the following video of the talented young guard from last weekend’s Bill Hensley Memorial Run-N-Slam in Fort Wayne: